¶ … Cyndi Banks' Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice
No serious-minded individual over the age of twelve actually thinks that justice and ethical issues involved in criminality are purely black-and-white or clear-cut issues of good and bad. The first chapters of Cyndi Banks' (2008) Criminal Justice Ethics, however, make it clear that the issues of right and wrong in the criminal justice system are far more complex, specific, and subtle than one might have guessed, even when grand and overarching principles serve as the ultimate source for the ethical considerations in a criminal justice case. Especially when supplemented by additional research regarding the workings of the criminal justice system and the application of ethics in cranial justice decisions and policies, the first chapters of this book have a profound effect in shaping an awareness of such considerations.
The Importance of Ethics
One of the most profound impacts the first chapter of Banks' (2008) book has on the reader is in breaking down the different ways of understanding ethics, some of which are at least in part mutually exclusive. Ethical absolutism doesn't take into account differences in cultural values or perspectives, and yet it is easy to see that there are significant differences in perspective and what is considered acceptable, wrong, or even criminal from society to society and even within sub-cultures in a given society (Banks, 2008). Determining what "fair" or "just" is from an ethical perspective is not at all a simple task.
At the same time, public policy in a democratic society is something that is formed ostensibly as the result of ethical considerations and determinations...
The cases only took approximately four to five minutes implying to an unseen assembly line of justice. The study also brought to light the fact that minority cases from outside New York were listened to by an all white jury (Ingram, 2009). The other part of the criminal justice system that witnessed high levels of racial prejudice is the correctional departments. Discrimination has been witnessed in the way prisoners of
Police officers need to understand that there exists a balance between security and the individual's freedom (Banks, 2009). Officers are also susceptible to corruption, and therefore need to understand that the causes of corruption are often identified and combated through an understanding of and respect for the justice system that is currently in place. Police officers also need to be trained properly, with a foundation in the same concepts
Ethics Criminal justice is an inherently ethical profession. The judiciary ostensibly crafts laws that reflect the ethical sensibilities and social norms of the society, which are often embedded in the American Constitution. The role of the criminal justice system is to ensure that local, state, and federal laws are applied and enforced in a manner consistent with constitutional and regional codes. Issues like the equal protection clause are also ethical matters.
Researchers have recently conducted a study of the racial disparity in the military justice system which seems to mirror the results discovered about the criminal justice system. Since the Supreme Court re-instituted the death penalty in 1976, the U.S. military has executed 16 personnel, 10 of whom were minorities. The researchers found that while the system was not inherently discriminatory, individuals within the system were acting in a discriminatory way.
role of prisons in the society. I have included the theories of deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution, incapacitation, non-interventionism and restoration to support my discussion along with their positive and negative aspects. In the conclusion, I have given my preferred theory of imprisonment as the most effective and important ones. A prison can be defined as a protected and locked institution where juvenile and grown-up offenders are housed with punishments that vary
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